From Ethnic Cleansing To Cultural Genocide: The Systematic Destroying Of Uyghur Identity And State Violence

Uyghurs in East Turkistan have been facing policies of cultural and ethnic opression implemented by the People's Republic of China since 1949. Uyghur language has been largely removed from education, and Mandarin Chinese has been forcibly imposed; religious practices have been restricted in the name of “extremism”; children and women have been separated from their families and placed in institutions run by the state. Its population control measures, forced labour and cultural policies can be considered to fall within the definition of “crimes against humanity” in international law.This study aims to examine these policies implemented by the Chinese state in East Turkestan from historical and contemporary perspectives and demonstrate that this is not a matter of security or separatism, but rather has transcended the dimensions of ethnic cleansing to become a cultural genocide and a crime against humanity. The research adopted the literature review and document analysis method within the framework of a qualitative approach. Reports from international organisations and human rights organisations were examined, existing studies in the literature were analysed and the findings were classified thematically. Based on the findings, it can be stated that the policies implemented by the Chinese state are not aimed at security; rather, they target ideological, cultural, and demographic transformation and involve an identity annihilation process.